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Son Of Mayhem

Vermin (2021)
Rating: 8/10

Son Of Mayhem is the debut full-length outing from Colombian heavy metal clan ADS, and this is quite a decent experience if you like steady galloping metal with high-pitched vocals.

Brace yourself then for a high octane racer of a record that kicks off with ‘The Hunter’, a ballsy, bass dribbled thumper that doesn’t quite pack the punch it ought to, but maybe that’s due to the production which feels a tad thin. I get that bands of this ilk like to sound crisp and nifty, and the soloing is a joy to hear, but throughout the record, in spite of the high energy, there’s a distinct lack of fire and weight.

On the title track the bass of Daniel Mantilla comes to the fore, juddering and plonking itself high in the mix. Meanwhile, the canoodling of the axemen brings a steady pace to proceedings, making this one of my favourite mid-paced clompers on the record.

Elsewhere within the network of nine tracks we have such delights as ‘Vestige’ with its speed metal overtones. Drenched in pure energy, this hasty rocker is the most authentic 80s style within the framework of the opus and is another solid tune.

Other notable ingredients are ‘Stormrider’, featuring some fantastic axework, while ‘Night’s Wolf’ offers a fine introductory spark, building nicely with Alejandro Romero’s precise drum and I really like the vocals here as the track kicks into a catchy nod. The atmosphere of ‘Night’s Wolf’ draws me in, evoking images of my teen years huddled in a dark room rocking along to late night records boasting devilish covers.

‘Living On The Edge’ feels more airy and, dare I say it, AOR-orientated, but it’s a helluva catchy composition. And one cannot argue either with the sizzling ‘Break Out’ and the finale of ‘Under Threat’ (a bonus track on the digital version), which rounds off a record that, in spite of not quite being meaty enough, contains enough mind-frying solos, ascending wails and dynamism to pull it over the line.

The speedier tracks do provide extra menace, but there’s heaps of melody too. So, if you enjoy metal acts such as Loudness then this will be right up your street. ADS should be proud of their debut release.

Neil Arnold

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